NEW DELHI, July 11: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday unveiled the 6.5 metre tall national emblem made of bronze cast atop the roof of the new Parliament building after performing Puja.
The national emblem weighing 9,500 kg has been cast at the top of the central foyer of the new parliament building. A supporting steel structure weighing around 6,500 Kg has been constructed to support the emblem, a government note said.
The concept sketch and process of casting the national emblem on the roof of the new parliament building has gone through eight stages of preparation, starting from clay modelling, computer graphics to bronze casting and polishing, the government note added.
During the event, the Prime Minister also interacted with the workforce involved in the construction of the grand new Parliament building. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri were among those present on the occasion.
The new parliament building project will cost the government ₹ 1,250 crore. The cost shot up by 29 per cent over the budgeted expenditure of ₹ 977 crore. The building, which is the highlight of the government’s ambitious Central Vista project, is being built by Tata Projects.
The proposed four-storey building spread over 13 acres, located a stone’s throw from Rashtrapati Bhavan, was initially expected to be finished before the country’s 75th Independence Day this year but the deadline has now been extended to October.
(Manas Dasgupta)